Online Bookings is available on the Pro plan. Your customers can book their service visit straight from the reminder you already send them, with no phone call needed.
How it works
Add the online booking link to your Gas or Oil service reminder, and your customers can choose a time that suits them from the hours you've set.
Your customer receives a service reminder with a 'Book online here' button.
It opens your booking page with the days and times you have free.
They pick a date and a time and tap Confirm Booking. Their details are already filled in, so there's no form to complete.
The booking is added to your calendar, and the customer receives an appointment confirmation email.
Step 1: Set your engineers' availability
Log in to the Gas Engineer Software web portal.
Click the settings cog, then open Online Bookings from General Settings.
On the Availability tab, choose an engineer from the Engineers dropdown.
Switch Online Bookings on for that engineer.
Under Available Hours, switch on the days they can take bookings and set a start and finish time for each.
Click Save.
Note: Each engineer has their availability set separately to accommodate their schedule.
Good to know:
These hours are for online bookings only. They don't change your job scheduling or your main calendar.
Slots that clash with an engineer's existing calendar events aren't offered to customers. An all-day event, such as a holiday, blocks the whole day.
Engineers who don't have Online Bookings switched on are never offered to customers.
Step 2: Choose your booking settings
Open the Booking settings tab to decide how slots are offered. These settings apply to every engineer.
Slot Length: how long each appointment is. The default is 1 hour.
Minimum Notice: how soon a customer can book. The default is 24 hours, which stops last-minute bookings.
Future Booking Window: how far ahead customers can book. The default is 4 weeks.
Click Preview to see your booking page exactly as your customers will see it. Click Save when you're happy.
Step 3: Add the booking link to your reminders
The booking link isn't added to your reminders automatically. Add it to each template you want customers to book from:
Open your Gas Certificate and Service Reminders or your Oil Certificate and Service Reminders.
From Drag and Drop Tags, drag :bookinglink (Online booking link) into the email wherever you'd like the link to appear.
Click Save.
If you send SMS reminders, add :bookinglink to your Gas and Oil SMS templates too.
Tip: put a short line around the link so your customer knows what it does, for example: "Book online here, or give us a call on :contactphone."
When a customer books
A Servicing appointment is added to your calendar for the customer and job address, with "Online Booking" in the notes.
A free engineer who has Online Bookings switched on is assigned automatically. If the reminder already had a job with an engineer on it and they're free, they keep it.
If you have reminders set to create a job, the booking is added to that job. Otherwise, a new job called Gas Safety/Service - Customer Self Booked is created.
Your customer is sent your Appointment Confirmation email.
Your account email gets a New Booking From email, and the assigned engineer gets a New Booking Assigned email.
To move or cancel a booking, edit or archive the appointment in your calendar as usual. The slot opens up again for other customers. To send the confirmation again, open the appointment and click Resend Confirmation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to approve bookings?
No. Customers can only book slots your engineers have free, so bookings are confirmed straight away.
Can customers cancel or reschedule online?
Not at the moment. If a customer needs to change their appointment, they'll get in touch with you, and you can move or archive it in your calendar.
How long does a booking link last?
Each link lasts 4 weeks, or until a booking is made, whichever comes first. If a customer opens an expired link, they'll see "Link no longer valid — please call us."
What if the customer already has an appointment booked?
If the link has already been used, or the address already has an upcoming appointment, the customer sees "This looks like it's already been arranged — please call us." This stops the same visit from being booked twice.
How do I stop bookings on bank holidays or days off?
Add an all-day event for the engineer in your calendar. That blocks the whole day, so no slots are offered.
Can each engineer have a different appointment length?
No. Slot Length applies to all engineers. You can still set different working days and hours for each engineer on the Availability tab.
Does my customer need to log in or fill in their details?
No. The link is unique to their address, so their details are already filled in. They just pick a time and confirm.
Which reminders can include a booking link?
Gas and Oil service reminders, by email and by SMS.
I can't see Online Bookings in my settings
Online Bookings is part of the Pro plan. If you're on Starter or Core, you'll see an option to upgrade.
Need Help?
If you have any questions about setting up Online Bookings, get in touch with our support team:
Phone: 020 7129 7058
Or use the in-app chat